


Come Away With Me

by NewRageInc



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-09
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2017-12-10 21:11:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/790215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NewRageInc/pseuds/NewRageInc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He had to admit she was the last person he would have expected call upon him and the determination behind her quicksilver eyes made his heart skip a beat. AU. Sasu/Hina.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

"You're upset."

"I'm not"

"Yes you are, what did I do?"

"I'm n-not upset, please, I need to get this done for tomorrow."

She was lying. She was nibbling at her cuticles, that was her tell, and Naruto was ever observant to her behaviors. Hinata turned away from him and went back to her tablet, adjusting the backlight to her computer screen, she had been in front of it for too long and her eyes were stinging from the abuse.

"Hinata, please talk to me." There was a catch to his voice. He was sorry but she was still upset. He didn't even know why he was sorry and that made her bite down too hard on her left index finger, drawing blood. Sighing, she put her tablet aside.

"It's just… we had a meeting with the wedding planner this afternoon. You must have… forgotten."

" _Shit_. Hinata I'm sorry. Tsurenai chewed me out today because I turned the wrong paper work for this case we had been working on and, Hinata, I am  _so_ sorry. I'll make it up to you I swear." He hated the way she was looking at him, those doe eyes looking sadder with each utterance of 'I'm sorry,' he felt like he had just kicked a puppy.

"I just… I mean." She took a deep breath, taking up her tablet again. "I wish you'd take this more seriously… the wedding is-"

"In less than two months, I know. You don't think I'm taking this seriously?" He bit. The rage building within him was unfounded, but everything about this was egging him on. He felt satisfied when he saw her wince at his tone. He was a sick bastard.

"N-no, that's not what I meant-"

"Then what did you mean?" She was working at the image before her mindlessly. He knew she'd have to go back and fix whatever mess she was making during this argument. He kept on. "What did you meant then, huh? Hinata I love you, why the fuck would I be marrying you if I didn't?" He was shouting at her, he should hate himself, and he did, after he noticed the tears shining in her eyes. She pushed her tablet away from her and stood up.

"Well you certainly don't act like it."

Hinata turned and hurried in to their bedroom, door slamming behind her and lock clicking loudly in her wake. Naruto sighed.

The couch was becoming his new best friend.

* * *

Sasuke didn't care much for red heads, in fact, he found the color to be too loud for his liking and detested anyone who was proud to stand out in such a way. But he wasn't complaining now as he was fisting that detested color hair now, dragging the woman before him closer.

She was chanting his name softly against his neck as he rocked her hips on top of him.

He hated her. How easy she was, how she acted around him in the office, essentially throwing herself at him, but he could not help himself. He was a man after all, a good looking one at that, and she was there and willing and he needed some stress relief.

When they were through, she hastily gathered her discarded panties and slipped them over her legs and back under her skirt. She was flustered and her hair was mussed. Sasuke sat back in his office chair and watched her depart. She muttered something about his brother requesting some paper work for the upcoming meeting with the Hyuuga's. He slumped further down his chair, adjusting his slacks before zipping himself back up.

He watched his door for a few moments before turning to his computer to get back to work.

* * *

"So you guys fought. This won't be the last time, trust me." Ino sat at her desk opposite from Hinata, rubbing her nose furiously where she had accidentally gotten some ink on it. "No big deal."

"I suppose…" Ino huffed, giving up on rubbing off the ink and digging in to her purse for her concealer.

"You suppose? This different from the other times?" Hinata pushed an eraser around her desk. They were supposed to be working, but they had just gotten through a deadline and for some reason things always slowed down a little bit when they finished a deadline.

"It's different because I feel like he's blowing me off… and it's not a good time to be blowing me off."

"Well, no one is forcing you to marry him Hinata. You know what they say-" Ino was dabbing concealer on her nose, squinting in to the tiny mirror of her compact. Hinata tapped her fingers on her desk impatiently. "Oh, right. People say that planning a wedding is the hardest thing you can do as a couple. Like a make it or break it type thing."

"Which people?"

"Oh you know, I saw it in some movie where these two women booked their wedding on the same day. One woman found all the problems in her relationship and the other found how perfect her's was. A real chick flick." Ino snapped her compact shut and dropped her purse under her desk. She smiled, exaggerating her lips over her teeth and making Hinata giggle just as Asuma walked by their shared cubicle.

"Ladies, please, this is a work place. Aren't you supposed to be drawing or something of that nature?" Asuma was hopeless when it came to be taken seriously. Ino stretched out in her chair.

"We're working, see? I drew a tree." She gestured to her paper and he offered her a lop sided smile, cigarette balanced on his lips.

"Get to work blondie. You too Hinata, I heard you giggling." He wiggled his eyebrows at her before walking away. Ino slumped over her desk, blowing a raspberry.

"Anyway, if you want to break up with him go for it. I'm just now going to nonchalantly remind you of how much of your life you've invested in him and now go back to working on this forest in silence." She snickered in to her paper and Hinata sighed, looking down to her own work.

Ino had a point.

* * *

Itachi pushed his hair away from his face, shooting a questioning glance in his younger brother's direction. He read over the final draft of the contract that would be formed between their families PR firm and Hyuuga Pharmaceuticals. He cocked an eyebrow.

"Do you think this is a good idea Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think representing Hyuuga Pharmaceuticals is a good idea, from a legal stand point?" He shrugged.

"It's what father had intended. I'm not the one for these business moves." He shrugged again. Itachi snickered.

"You're right. He knew what he was doing. Are you going to be there for the meeting?"

"No I don't think-"

"Tough. It's at three. See you then."

* * *

Neji was gripping his suit case handle too roughly. Hinata winced at the white knuckle grip and did her best at seeming not to notice as she shifted her weight from foot to foot in the elevator. Neji was tapping his foot impatiently. This was to the same affect as her biting her cuticles. He was nervous.

"Have you looked over the paper work they sent you?" Hinata asked tentatively. Neji looked over to her as though he had just remembered she was standing next to him.

"I have."

"Is everything okay?" He sighed and the grip on his suitcase relented.

"It is, I'm just nervous. Uchiha has a good reputation but… I don't know. I don't know how I feel about handing over our family name for someone to take care of. It's something precious, something our fathers worked together to build and this is important to them… to me… to  _us_." He offered her a tentative smile. "I was very happy to hear you were willing to help with the company again Hinata."

"I could not let the burden of my father's half of the company fall on Hanabi alone. She's still in school…" She shook her head but returned his smile. "I suppose I should be grateful to be back in her life. Despite the circumstances."

Neji looked as though he were going to say more but the elevator pinged as the door slid open. He snapped his mouth shut, the grim mask of business replacing the warmth he had shown Hinata. She steeled herself and hoped she hadn't forgotten anything in her time away from Hyuuga Pharm.

A woman with bright red hair and thick rimmed glasses smiled at them as they stepped through the glass doors with the Uchiha emblem. The distant sounds of ringing phones and sliding office chairs brought on a wave of nostalgia Hinata had not been expecting. Of course she had heard these noises in her own work place, but the context was different. Her palms began to sweat.

"Welcome Mr. Hyuuga. They're already expecting you, if you'll please follow me." The woman before them pushed her glasses up her nose, causing a glare to hide the color of her eyes. The pair followed, their steps muffled by the grey carpet of the hallways.

The red head stopped before another large glass door, the main conference room, Hinata assumed, judging from its' size and central location. She opened the door for them and smiled sweetly, announcing their presence.

In the center of the room was a long, fancy looking table, the surface polished to perfection and shining under the light fixture above. At the head of the table was a very tired looking man, skin pale, hair long but tied back to give off the air of a professional. His gaze was steady and the way he trained his eyes on her and her cousin made her want to revert to her old childish ways and cling to Neji's shirt tail and hide behind him. To his left was a younger looking man, similar to the tired man in many ways, including his eyes, and she was sure if the tired man had cut his hair it would it in the same unruly fashion as the younger man. She drew confidence from the depths of her character and followed Neji, seating themselves opposite to the pair.

"Mr. Hyuuga, good to see you again." The tired man spoke, his voice was gentler than she had anticipated. Neji nodded, shaking his hand responding politely then turning to Hinata, indicating she introduce herself.

"Hinata Hyuuga. I'm here in place of my late father." They shook hands and he frowned.

"Itachi Uchiha, a pleasure. Please accept my condolences to your family."

"Thank you." The younger man was watching her closely, a look of almost confusion coming over his features.

"Excuse my brother's stare, he is just captivated by Ms. Hyuuga's beauty." Itachi said after an awkward beat. This earned the two brother's a pointed glare from Neji, a slight blush from Hinata (that she tried so desperately to fight off), and a jolt from Sasuke.

"Hn, Sasuke Uchiha. I'll be dealing with your company's name." They settled themselves at the table and Itachi and Neji immediately went to work on outlining the plan that Sasuke had drawn up as to how the image of the company should proceed. It didn't seem too different from how Hinata's father had represented them towards the end of his life. There was an emphasis on the damage control concerning a certain under the table scandal involving Hinata's late mother...

When they started touching on the subject, she turned towards her notes and started doodling. Her eyes caught sight of one pale hand resting above a blank sheet of paper, a pen gracefully perched in the crook of his thumb and index finger. She couldn't help herself. Hinata started drawing Sasuke's hand, distracting herself from the subject at hand as she tried to capture the elegance in which this man held himself.

After a pause that was too long to have just been for breath, she knew she had been discovered. Neji's mouth was set in a grim line, Itachi looked amused, and Sasuke sighed.

"Ms. Hyuuga, if you really wanted to be wasting our time by doodling while this meeting took place I would have hoped for a warning." Sasuke bit before moving the hand she had been sketching and pushing up from his chair. Itachi shook his head. Itachi shook his head but didn't say anything when his younger brother left the room.

"I apologize, he hasn't really been himself lately. I assure you, he'll behave professionally when it comes to your company." Neji sighed.

"No you shouldn't apologize, it was not his fault. I suppose we're done now?" The two men nodded and Hinata felt like she wanted to cry.

She should have never come back.

* * *

"That was very rude of you."

"That was rude of her, she should have been taking what you two were saying more seriously. What kind of impudence is that? Showing up to a meeting and doodling?" Sasuke was pacing his office. Itachi leaned on the far wall, tongue pressed to the roof of his mouth as he watched his brother fume. "I just don't understand them. Why are they asking for our help now? Their father basically stopped their family's name to the ground with what he had been doing, unsalvageable!"

"He was trying to fix things… towards the end."

"A lot of good that did him… How can you stand to be in the same room as them? She looks just like her too…" Itachi shook his head.

"You seriously need to grow up little brother."

* * *

Hinata had felt defeated before.

She remembered the first time she had gotten a C in chemistry freshman year of high school. Her father refused to look at her for a week.

There was the time she and her sister had gotten in to an argument over who should hold their mother's hand when they unplugged her ventilator. Hinata couldn't deal with the pain, Hanabi was still rather young and needed her sister to be there for their mother, but in the end it was Hanabi who stroked her thumb over their mother's pale hand as she took her last shaky breath.

When she first met Naruto in college and found out he had a girlfriend.

When she discovered the hidden file over the experimental drugs their mother had been taking for her illness that had ultimately led to her speedy decline. She had thrown the papers on her father's desk and stormed out of his and her sister's life.

Now.

She sunk into the bathtub with a grateful sigh, she didn't know who to thank for the fact that Naruto was not home, she didn't feel like dealing with him.

' _Though he might have left me. I hope not…'_

That's when she heard the door open and her name being called out.

"I'm over here." She sighed in to the water and sunk further beneath the suds. Naruto was at the threshold of the bathroom in moments. His eyes scanning the vanilla candles and the over amount of bubbles Hinata currently sat in the middle of.

"Bad day," he guessed.

"Just very… long." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I guess I didn't really help in that huh? I'm sorry about last night and the meeting and yelling at you… You don't deserve that. I promise I'll try harder."

It had gotten to where Hinata could no longer count the times he had uttered those same words to her on her fingers anymore. She sunk further in to the tub, blowing bubbles just beneath the surface of the water before coming back up.

"Okay…"

She couldn't help it. Especially when it came to Naruto, Hinata had fallen too hard. She feared being unable to get up.

* * *

After a lot of contemplation, Hinata decided she needed to apologize to Sasuke Uchiha and promise to take her work with her family's company more seriously. She hoped he understood. She hated being on the receiving end of anger and frustration.

The red headed lady frowned a little when she had asked to see him and was about to dismiss Hinata when Itachi walked by with a mug of what appeared to be coffee in his hands. He smiled and told her to go right in, he had just come from there himself and knew he wasn't busy. He led her down the hall and gestured towards a door whose nameplate read:

_Uchiha, S._

Itachi excused himself and she stared at the name plate. She raised her fist but hesitated.

' _No. No more fear. No more running away.'_

Her knuckles rapped against the wood louder than she had intended but she stood firm. A deep tenor beckoned her entry and she turned the nob and stepped inside before she could convince herself otherwise.

Sasuke's office was all dark tones. The walls were a deep shade of gray, black and white prints in black frames hung along the walls. There was a heavy bookshelf behind the desk, filled to the brim with books, her eyes lingered there for a moment before turning towards the man behind the desk.

He had to admit she was the last person he would have expected call upon him and the determination behind her quicksilver eyes made his heart skip a beat. He almost forgot to stand.

Sasuke offered her his hand. "I didn't expect to see you so soon after… yesterday's exchange." Her hands were warm and she surprised him once more by the firmness of her grip. "It was unprofessional of me."

"Yes, well." She cleared her throat. "I really should have been paying more attention. You were right… I just… It's just been a while since I've had to deal with any of this. But that's beside the point. I'm not here to make excuses for myself, I'm here to make you a promise. I'm going to be present for my family and for this company and I need your help to rebuild the Hyuuga name Mr. Uchiha."

"Fine then, I suppose we'll be seeing quite a bit of each other." She nodded.

"I'll see you at the meeting with the researches next Monday. Until then."


	2. Chapter Two

"I can't believe you're leaving me all by myself." Ino pouted as Hinata was doing the finished touches to the scene she was working on.

"It was bound to happen." Hinata said quietly in to her paper.

"Yes but, this is way sooner than I thought. Who am I supposed to veg out with after we're done with something big and intricate like? Hinata, who am I going to go on breaks with? Don't say one of the boys, they're useless." Ino had been grumbling all morning after Hinata had showed her the copy of her letter of resignation.

Working in animation had been fun but Hinata had other priorities now.

"We'll still see each other after work. You're still my maid of honor." Hinata reminded.

"Yeah well… I didn't take you as the businessy type anyway. I thought you went to art school."

"I didn't." Hinata said, pushing a few pens around on her desk. "It was sort of just a hobby, the drawing. I double majored in business and pharmacology."

"That sounds hard…" Ino slumped over her desk. "Your father worked you like a horse huh? I'm glad my parents were hippies. Made my life a hell of a lot easier."

"It's too late for regrets, Ino. I'm nearly thirty."

"It's never too late for regrets."

* * *

Sasuke had to admit that the Hyuuga labs were impressive. The large facility on the outskirts of Konoha commanded your attention from the west. The security around the building made for a daunting picture as Sasuke pulled up in his sleek care, flashing an identification card at the guard who punched at a computer to open the gates.

He was positive that this was the most sterile environment he had ever set foot in, including the intensive care unit his mother had spent the last days of her life in. The floors were well polished and the walls so white the light reflected harshly off of them. People in lab coats were bustling about as they went on with their day to day. Sasuke stood out in his well-tailored dark suit.

He flashed the card a few more times before being ushered towards an office, away from the fluorescent lights and the general riff raff that were the researchers.

Neji and his cousin were already in deep conversation with a towering woman of generous… aspects. He wondered about the leniency of dress code to those working with dangerous chemicals as she displayed a wonderous amount of cleavage. Neither of the Hyuugas batted an eye, Neji's gaze never faltering from the blonde's as they spoke. He silently applauded the man's self-control.

The trio turned his way. He stuffed his hands in to his pockets.

"Tsunade, this is Sasuke, the man we hired to do PR for us. I invited him her to take a look around our labs and hope to be able to give him a better understanding of what exactly it is we are trying to do." Tsunade quirked an eyebrow at him.

"You look just like her." She said finally, pushing a blonde pig tail over her shoulder. "Your mother was quite the beauty before that illness. Just like yours Hinata. Shame. Well let's move on."

Sasuke stopped short, narrowing his eyes at the woman's bluntness. Neither of the Hyuugas moved as she said this. He swallowed the biting words back and took note of how Hinata's shoulders slumped.

" _Just like yours Hinata."_

' _What did that mean?'_

He followed only showing mild interest as Tsunade introduced him to staff and explained each lab as they went by. Neji was right by him, giving commentary as to what exactly had changed since the late Hiashi's passing. Hinata hung back, smiling sweetly to those who recognized her but ultimately silent throughout the tour.

"We're very excited for the facelift Mr. Uchiha. These people are good people… We mean no harm." Tsunade said, drawing his attention away from the silent woman. He nodded.

"I'll do my best."

* * *

Sasuke was not one for socializing. In fact, he detested people and everything having to do with them. But he couldn't hide the fact that, like his older brother, he had a talent for it. His smirk was charming and his handsome features always appreciated at an event. He was well read and able to keep up banter with most men at his father's work place at a young age. He and Itachi had always been able to play off of each other for a crowd and his father monopolized their talents to his advantage.

He never made an appearance without his wife on his arm and his two sons at their heels. Fugaku Uchiha had been proud. Proud of his family, his name, and of everything he and his wife had built together. Their life had been the epitome of perfection.

That is until Mikoto Uchiha fell ill.

When she finally succumbed to her illness is when Sasuke started feeling bitter towards the events his father dragged them to. He had never enjoyed them to begin with but, when his mother was gone, having to put on that air of politeness and pleasantries seemed even more troublesome.

He hated his father.

Because of this hate he had always been stuck between this grief stricken state and bitterness. He felt empty and dull and frustrated that there wasn't a  _goddamned_  thing in the world he could do about it.

Sasuke sighed, thumbing through the various charity events Neji had suggested putting money in to. He pushed his palms in to his eyes, not looking forward to having face to face interaction at these events again. He hadn't actually done representative work himself in years. Not since his father passed and Itachi had asked him to take up the slack while he made the transition to head of the firm.

This meant he couldn't go through the strings of women and drinking binges he'd come used to.

' _Well damn… I guess I'll just have to drink at home instead of at a bar.'_

* * *

"If we put your great uncle towards the back, he won't get in to an argument with my grandfather." Naruto mused, squinting down at the seating chart Hinata had passed to him.

She had placed her feet in his lap when he sat down to join her. Naruto  _hated_  feet, but he did his best not to say anything to make her look up from whatever it was she was reading. He knew she was testing his nerve.

"My great uncle likes to be close to the restrooms anyway."

"What're you reading?"

"Information on the Suna Children's hospital," she hummed, turning the page.

"Why?"

"Neji thinks it'd be good to start donating money there. Perhaps enough to build a new wing at the hospital in honor of our fathers." She pushed the file on to the coffee table. Naruto stared at her.

"Do you really want to go back?" She sat up, withdrawing her feet from his lap and blinked at him.

"It doesn't matter to me, cartooning was getting boring anyway." She shrugged and pulled the chart out of his hands. "My family needs me." She said more quietly.

He pulled her over to him, tucking her head under his chin. Hinata closed her eyes, feeling the strong thrum of Naruto's pulse against his skin press up to her forehead. He was warm. Always warm. Naruto radiated like the sun.

* * *

"I thought I made it clear last week that I don't like to be kept waiting." Shizune was tapping her black heel against the polished tiles of the hotel. Hinata was flustered and out of breath, having just sprinted across the parking lot in her rush when she realized she was late.

"Please forgive me Shizune, a meeting with my cousin ran late-" The older woman waved her apology away, reaching down in to her purse and pulling out the manila folder that Hinata knew to be the file on her wedding.

"It's fine, at least your groom has so graciously allowed us to have him this afternoon. I suppose I can forgive you for your tardiness." Hinata perked up, moving her head around the lobby until she spotted the blonde spiky head of her fiancé studying a painting.

' _He showed up …'_

"Let's get this show on the road, this way you two." Naruto grinned down at Hinata, offering her his arm before they proceeded after Shizune.

Hinata was ill at ease with the fact that they had waited so long to pick a venue. Two months was still enough time to send invitations and get a rough count for RSVPs but it would all be rushed. Her seating chart was just all guess work and she hated the idea of picking a place that would force her to change what she already had worked on.

The reason they had waited so long was because Naruto kept getting called away for an important case or something. There was  _always_  something getting in the way. This is what ultimately led to their fight the other night. Hinata thanked whatever God there was in heaven that allowed him to actually show up to this venue because if he hadn't shown up she would have had to pick herself.

"And here we have the ball room," Shizune said, pushing open the large doors and revealing the high ceilings and long windows that cast an unearthly glow around the room. The large windows framed the lush green expanse of the hotel's lawns, Hinata's eyes immediately brightened.

"They have a garden?" Shizune smiled.

"Yes dear, very beautiful place this time of year." She strode across the hall to the doors that gave way to an expansive porch. "You could do an outside ceremony and have your cocktails set up here." She gestured to the area. "Then your guests could walk through these doors to the ball room for reception. It would make a lovely picture if you can see the colors you've already chosen laid out."

Hinata turned to Naruto. He smiled down at her as she leaned in to him.

"What do you think?" She murmured.

"I don't think I've seen you this excited about the wedding since I proposed." He fingered her engagement ring. "It's what you've been waiting for." He pressed a kissed to her temple. "So if it's what you've been waiting for it must be perfect."

"We'll take it."

* * *

Sasuke rubbed his temples tiredly, placing his phone back on its cradle loud click. Getting the Hyuugas invited to events was becoming more of an issue than he would have hoped. No one wanted their charity to be associated with the company no matter how much money Neji Hyuuga had offered to give. He knew the damage was severe (his own opinion still very much at a low point), but this was ridiculous. How did Itachi expect him to work this kind of miracle?

He tapped his pen against the list of number before him.

' _Maybe it's time I called an old friend…'_

He dug around for a few minutes before producing a very old and seldom used rolodex. Sasuke's nimble fingers made quick work of the ancient information keeping device and he was squinting in to the air in front of him as he punched in the numbers.

" _Hatake Research Center, how may I direct your call?"_

"Sakura Haruno, please."

" _One moment."_ Polite sounding music played through the ear piece before it stopped abruptly to the sound of the phone ringing again.  _"Sakura Haruno speaking, how may I help you?"_

"Sakura, it's Sasuke." He spoke gruffly. He heard a shift over the line.

" _Oh my, what a pleasant surprise, to what do I owe the pleasure?"_ She already sounded amused. He hated this cat and mouse game they had been playing at for years. He sighed.

"I need a favor, I understand your research facility is throwing a banquet next weekend."

" _You need an invite for one of your clients? Interesting…"_ She hummed.

"Difficult client, not very well liked among the medical community. Are you familiar with-"

" _Hyuuga Pharmaceuticals? Yes. Popular name still despite the years. I didn't know you decided to represent them, Sasuke. I imagine they must be desperate if you're calling on me for favors."_ He sighed, pushing his hair away from his face. That family's name was still fresh in the minds' of those in relevant company.

"Hiashi Hyuuga passed and his family is trying to redeem their name among the community. They just need a fucking foot in the door Sakura. You know I hate begging…"

'… _or speaking to you.'_

" _I don't know…"_

"They'll donate fifty thousand dollars to your research." He could almost feel her thoughts come to a screeching halt.

" _Fine. Expect the invitation within the week."_

Foot, have you met door?

* * *

Wednesday afternoon, Hinata knocked politely at his office door, hair frizzed slightly from the drizzle that had plaguing them most of the afternoon. He stood, shaking her hand and immediately reaching for the fancy piece of parchment on his desk.

"I know it's more than you intended to donate to that particular research center but-" Hinata was shaking her head. The smile that played on her lips so bright and full that Sasuke had a hard time catching his breath.

' _Woah there…'_

"No. This is wonderful. Neji will be so pleased. We haven't been invited to a banquet in years. This will be the perfect opportunity to represent ourselves as the new Hyuuga Pharmaceuticals." He eyed her suspiciously.

"You seem… in a good mood?" Her smile never faltered, if anything it grew in to a full blown grin.

"It's just been a good couple of days." Her voice was different too. It sounded almost as though she were singing. Usually she sounded as though she were in a very serious, whispered conversation with everyone.

"Oh?" He handed her the invitation Sakura had sent to his office, as promised and leaned back on to his desk. "How so? Not that I care or anything…" He didn't care. But there was something about the way she wrinkled her nose slightly when she smiled so widely that made him curious.

"My fiancé and I finally decided on our venue. The date has been set for months but this is really it. We're really getting married. It just… made me happy." She coughed awkwardly in to her hand, a blush crawling across her face. "Sorry, I guess I'm just… excited." Hinata looked up at him, through her bangs, like a small child would if they realized they had said something embarrassing. "Thank you, though. I know it couldn't have just been the money alone that got us this invitation. Itachi was right. We're in good hands."

She thanked him once more before excusing herself out of his office.

She was engaged.

He wasn't sure why he was surprised but she didn't seem the type to be the gushing bride. He supposed all women have that side to them…

 


	3. Chapter Three

Hinata could not remember a day in her life when she had been excited about shopping for clothes. She had always been self-conscious when it came to her body and this affected the way she shopped. Hinata always purchased and wore the same type of skirts and blouses. Conservative and tasteful and ever the lady she had been groomed to be, she never ventured the plunging neck lines or the ever shrinking miniskirts Ino had so often strode in to their office with.

She didn't feel as though she could pull it off.

But today, she felt different. Today she was going to pick the dress for her summer wedding and she was going to show Naruto that she didn't need to be in her comfort zone  _all_  of the time. As an added bonus, Neji had convinced Hanabi to join her sister in this escapade, seeing as this would also be when Hinata attempted picking her bride's maids' dresses as well.

Her twenty year old sister was, of course, less than happy. The air between the two girls had been thick with tension ever since Hinata had walked away from their broken family. Hinata was desperate to reconnect with Hanabi but Hanabi was unwilling to reciprocate the feeling.

Hanabi was snapping gum at a far corner of the bridal salon as Ino browsed the racks with Hinata. Ten Ten was seated on a cream colored chair in front of the three way mirror, brown eyes following the pair with interest at each place they paused. She was well into her third trimester of pregnancy and was a little upset she couldn't participate in Hinata's wedding as she would have liked. "Do you have a kind of picture of what you were interested in wearing Hinata?" Ten Ten called from her seat, hand idly rubbing over the large swell of her stomach.

"Not really, nothing too flashy…" Ino scoffed.

"Really? I saw that reception hall you guys picked, you need something flashy in order to stand out like you should on your wedding day in a place like that." She reached up and pulled out a large white gown, the plastic covering crinkling loudly as she shook it out. The attendant cringed from where she watched as Ino ushered Hinata to the fitting room. "Something like this, let's see how it looks!"

After a few awkward moments of grumbling and complaining, a triumphant Ino pokes her head out of the dressing room door. "Okay, guys, ready? Hanabi?" The girl looks up from her phone. "Here we go!" She moved out of the way and Hinata followed, head ducked and shoulders slumped as she stepped on to the pedestal set before a mirror. Ten Ten clapped her hands together.

"Oh Hinata… you look like a princess!" Hinata tugged at her hair uncertainly.

She had to agree. It  _was_  a lovely gown. The full skirt had crystal embellishments and the bodice had an intricate pattern of lace. The sweetheart shape showed off her generous cleavage and exaggerated her waist. When Ino stepped forward to pin her hair up away from her shoulders and place a long veil in her hair the picture was complete.

Despite how it complimented her Hinata felt this wasn't right.

"I don't know…"

"Come on Hinata," Ino huffed. She walked around her and adjusted the skirt of the gown. "You look great. This has to be it." Ten Ten was close to tears.

"You look lovely." Hanabi put her phone away and walked over to give Ten Ten a handkerchief. As Ten Ten proceeded to blow her nose Hanabi spoke up.

"You do look nice," she mumbled, not looking at anything in particular. This made Hinata hold her tongue on her self-criticism. This was the closest Hanabi had spoken directly to her in five months. She put her chin up and watched herself in the mirror.

' _Naruto would probably love this…'_

"I'll take it."

* * *

"What're you doing here?" Sasuke asked when he spotted Hinata sitting primly on one of the chairs he has before his desk. She turned around and he noted the dark circles underneath her eyes.

"There's been a change of plans. Neji's wife went in to labor last night and the baby has been put in to intensive care. I'll be attending the benefit in his stead this weekend."

"You could have just called." He threw his suitcase under his desk and started shuffling through the papers before him.

"This was on the way home… I hope you're more prompt with your other engagements." She stood and he could see out of the corner of his eye just how fatigued she truly appeared. Her skirt was wrinkled. That said a lot to him. At all of their other encounters he couldn't help but note how clean cut she was, just like her cousin.

She moved towards the door and, before he could stop himself, he called out. "My condolences… to your family… about the baby, I mean." Hinata froze at the threshold before turning back slightly to offer a small smile.

"They had wanted it to be a surprise… He looks just like her." She swallowed. "Thank you." She said finally before leaving his office.

His gaze lingered at the spot where she stood a few moments longer before turning back to his work.

* * *

The party was in full swing by the time Hinata and Naruto walked through the doors. It had taken her an hour to convince her fiancé the importance of his presence there. She needed his support right now, Hinata wasn't sure if she could keep a straight face with all those people lurking around, especially since the majority of them would recognize her from her father's company's less than savory past.

"I hate this tie." Naruto grumbled, pulling at his collar. She tightened her grip on his arm.

"Please don't start," she whispered. She had to apply extra concealer when preparing for the event. With the baby and her cousin's wife being in the hospital, she hadn't been getting much sleep. Naruto hadn't been helping to ease her growing stress.

"Naruto?" The pair looked up and spotted a cherry blond in a long silvery gown moving through the crowd towards them. Naruto's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Oh my gosh, Sakura, it's been so long." Hinata released his arm as he pulled away to give the woman a hug. Naruto's grin went from ear to ear and they went on in conversation. Hinata felt put out. She didn't notice the dark figure that was suddenly beside her.

"Enjoying yourself?" Sasuke said close to her ear. She jumped a little and looked up at him. Naruto looked behind him just then.

"Oh how rude of me, Sakura this is my fiancé, Hinata-"

"Hyuuga, yes it's a pleasure to meet you." She reached out a hand and Hinata clasped it weakly. The glint in this woman's eye telling her she knew her family's deep dark secret.

"Likewise," she couldn't keep herself from mumbling.

"Congratulations on getting Naruto to settle down with you." She nodded mutely as the two continued their conversation, already ignoring her in order to properly catch up.

"Would you like a drink?" Sasuke asked, studying her closely. She watched the back of Naruto's head for a moment longer before nodding.

She needed a drink. She nodded and Sasuke ducked through the crowd, soon returning with two flutes of Champaign. Hinata took the glass graciously, taking a generous swig and shaking her head at the tart taste it left in her mouth. Sasuke watched her out of the corner of his eye.

"Hasn't been much better huh?" Hinata's eyes moved along the crowd, obviously keeping track of her fiancé's movements. She hummed a response.

"The baby is doing better." She shrugged and he nodded.

"That's good to hear."

The pause in conversation settled into an awkward silence. Sasuke cleared his throat. He shifted his weight on his legs and put his hands in his pockets and then removed his hands remembering he was supposed to be keeping up appearances. "We should… mingle," he ventured. This was the whole reason they had come to this even anyway.

She startled and looked up at him, eyes going wide. "Oh, shoot. I forgot about that… I'm not very good at first impressions." She worried her bottom lip and her fingers played with the bottom of her glass. She had her hair drawn up in a tight bun at the base of her neck, her bangs framing her face and the touches of make-up making her eyes look bright in the low light of the banquet. Her dress was an olive color, a halter top that cinched at the waist and accentuated her curves. She was pretty enough. Sasuke squared his shoulders.

"Just follow my lead, come on."

He took her arm and tucked it in to the crook of his, leading her through the crowd, searching for the faces he knows they'll need to make pleasantries with. He spotted one man in particular, very hard not to spot actually, and headed towards the back of the room.

Standing in a shadowy corner of the room, scotch in hand, was a tall man wearing a surgical mask. He was dressed smartly, his dark suit looking clean and pressed and he probably would have made for an intimidating figure if it weren't for his slouched posture and the way his tie was loose. His eyes crinkled in a smile hidden behind the mask as he watched the pair approach.

"Well what do we have here? An Uchiha in the midst of us common folks? Who knew we could count on someone of your status to be gracing us with their presence." Sasuke took the man's offered hand and gave it a firm shake.

"I wasn't sure if you'd be too ill to attend this benefit so I'm just as surprised to see you here Kakashi. Please, allow me to introduce Hinata Hyuuga. She and her cousin have taken over Hyuuga Pharmaceuticals and have made a generous donation to your research facility. Hinata, this is Kakashi Hatake, the founder of this fine research program and facility."

"The pleasure is all mine," the tall man, Kakashi, extended his hand to her and she took it with all the confidence she could muster. "You'll have to excuse this," he said motioning to his face. "I'm a little delicate at the moment." She blushed realizing she must have been staring.

"Oh it's fine- I-I mean… I just… I understand." Hinata took a step back from him and wiped her palms on her dress, suddenly all too aware of the temperature in the room. Sasuke continued without pause and allowed Hinata to learn a little more about this man.

Apparently Kakashi was a recognized and respected researcher. She should have recognized his name immediately; he used to work for her father some time ago at their labs. He was actually the one who helped develop what would have been the ground breaking medicine that would have saved her mother's life… If it had worked. Kakashi had left Hyuuga labs a few months before Hinata's mother was recorded to have begun taking doses of the medicine with an illness of his own. Looking at him more closely, Hinata could see the dark circles under his eyes and how his clothing seemed to hang in a way that suggested he was much thinner than when he had originally purchased the suit.

"How is Itachi?"

"Same as he always is, he's been dealing with Suna. After they had that whole embezzlement shit they were dealing with."

"Oh my, sounds like a real pain." Kakashi chuckled before turning his attention to Hinata. "So, your father recently passed away. It must be hard, taking over a company and grieving at the same time."

Hinata spluttered on her Champaign. She wasn't expecting him to turn on her so quickly. He continued. "I remember you father, very intelligent. The man knew what he wanted and how he was going to get what he wanted. Working with him was an interesting experience."

"He was… always like that," she offered lamely, averting her eyes and wishing Neji were here to take care of this socializing thing. Kakashi nodded solemnly.

"Either way, I am sorry for your loss."

"She's not alone though," Sasuke spoke up suddenly. "She and her cousin are doing well and have already pulled the company up from where it was quite a bit. It's a… good thing." He cleared his throat and pushed his hair away from his face.

"I see, I see. Well, if you'll excuse me, I see some potential donations hanging around the bar." Kakashi ducked away leaving the pair alone.

When Kakashi was out of sight Hinata turned to him.

"How did you get them to accept our donation?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Why does it matter now? You didn't seem too concerned when I told you about it." Her posture was tense and there something in that pearly gaze that didn't allow him to hold out as long as he would have. He sighed. "Sakura and I went to college together. She took over after Kakashi got too sick to run the place and I called her up. She wasn't too keen on it at first and I'm not surprised as to why, but she took it because the money is good and she is my friend." He shrugged. "Why didn't you tell me Kakashi used to work for your father?"

He watched as she deflated and worried her lip. "I didn't remember his name until he brought it up. I was… very young at the time." She shook her head and her eyes were unfocused in the direction of the crowd. "I had other concerns at the time."

"How did you meet Naruto?" Hinata turned back to Sasuke. He was leaning back against the wall, his dark gaze following someone in the crowd. She followed his line of sight and saw a familiar blond head of hair weaving through the crowd, trailing behind the shimmery silver of Sakura's dress.

"He was actually working under one of the men working on the story of… my mother's death. That's how I met him. He was different… from everyone else. You could just tell by looking at him." She shrugged, turning back to Sasuke as Naruto was joking with Sakura and some of her associates.

"Hmm…" He pushed off the wall and straightened his jacket. He knew they should move on. He knew he should be parading her through the crowd as Sakura was with herself, and introduce her and make them see how different she is from her father. He didn't want to know… but the question had been nagging at him since he first saw her. "Hinata, I've been meaning to ask. What exactly happened with your mother…?"

She shifted her weight and he expected her to shy away from him, as he had seen her do when others had approached the subject. But she didn't. The gaze she turned to him was surprisingly steady.

"I didn't know… what they were planning. When she started getting better all I could think about was how miraculous it had been. Then it turned for the worse and she was gone so quickly… I didn't realize it until a few years later… I was looking for a certain file on… I can't even recall." She shook her head. "I don't think my father ever wanted us to find out… anyone to find out. It was… sort of the reason why I left, mixed with a few other things. It was leaked to the press after that and he accused me of betraying our family… I never tried to reconcile with him. I didn't think he'd die like he did but I wasn't surprised. High blood pressure and all…"

' _So… she didn't know…'_

"Come on, we need to get busy before these people get too drunk to remember your name."


	4. Chapter Four

He wasn't sure when exactly he had realized it.

Most likely it had been that day at the benefit but he didn't really admit it to himself until about two weeks before Hinata's wedding. The air conditioning in the office building had been out and the heat of summer was at its' peak. She had come over to discuss a new ad campaign they were launching in terms of an appetite curbing drug they were about to release.

He had his elbows leaned against his desk, button up shirt abandoned to the couch, and was rubbing his hands through his hair in frustration. Hinata had walked in, brow already damp with sweat, and found him in only his white undershirt. She choked on a giggle.

"What?" He had sounded harsher than he intended, but hot temperatures usually made people short and he was no exception. She waved her hand in the air, as though to clear whatever was hovering before her.

"Nothing, I just would have never expected to find you in such a state…" She was smiling. He blinked, a little dumbfounded at how her smile struck him. "Either way, let's get to work."

After some time in the hot box that was his office, she herself had unbuttoned the top button of her blouse and produced a band to tie her hair up and away from her, exposing the flushed skin at the base of her neck. She was tapping her pen against her paper as she paced his office, talking about the casting of a commercial and time slots for target audiences. Every time she went passed him he caught a whiff of the soft scent of her perfume mixed with sweat and his mind wandered to other instances in Hinata's life when such a mixture had occurred.

' _At the beach… after working out… after a nice round in bed…'_

He had sat up abruptly then which caused her to stop midsentence.

"Are you alright?" She put a hand on his desk and leaned forward giving him a peak at the delicate flesh of her cleavage. He swallowed.

"Fine. It's just a little too warm uhm… so I think it's err… time for a break." He cleared his throat. Twice. "I'll see you later."

He couldn't deny it then. He felt an obvious attraction towards her. There was something about her he felt drawn to and he wasn't entirely opposed to the idea of becoming attached.

"That's fine. We were pretty much done anyway." She stuffed her papers into her brief case. Her posture stiffened a bit just before she closed her case. After a moment she pulled out cream colored envelope and placed in front of Sasuke.

He stared.

"The options are chicken, fish, and some veggie dish Naruto insisted on us providing to be… considerate. I know this is short notice but… I mean." She shifted her stance. "Well, you're invited."

"I'll be there."

"Oh."

"I'll have the chicken." She nodded, laughing a little in disbelief. Had she thought he'd decline?

"Great. I guess I'll… okay."

He spent about an hour watching the door after she had gone through it.

Sasuke couldn't believe it.

When he'd first laid eyes on Hinata all he could see was her mother. He had hated her. Hated her straight hair and soft voice and especially that expression of deep sorrow that always seemed to be just behind everything she did. Now all he wanted to do was reach out to her, push the hair out of her face, press her to him.

But she was forbidden. Off limits.

Not only was she a client but she was also engaged, about to be tied to another man for the rest of her life, and completely out of his reach.

If there's one thing Sasuke would criticize himself on it would be his shitty taste in women.

This realization meant that for the better half of two weeks he contemplated throwing away that invitation and forgetting about Hinata in any romantic sense. But he had already, technically speaking, RSVP'd, and he felt a knot of guilt form in his stomach at the thought of blowing her off like that.

Instead he found himself reading the silvery raised text of the invitation over and over again. She was keeping her name. He could respect her for that. Uzamaki didn't suit her well. Or at least, it didn't sound right in his brain and it especially didn't sound right when he tried it out loud. He had actually rolled his eyes at himself.

No, it was better she keep her name anyway, for business purposes of course.

All meetings after the one where she had handed him the invitation were a little different. They still spoke of business plans and the such but he couldn't help but notice the dark circles under her eyes or how she jumped at every new message she received on her phone. Obviously planning a wedding was stressful and Hinata did not seem to be taking to it well.

When the day arrived he was almost late because he was still not sure whether or not telling her he would have the chicken was a proper RSVP and maybe he could feel a little less guilty about not going and not eating said chicken. He had only just finished hastily stuffing an envelope with some cash in it as he was walking down the path towards the hotels outside terrace.

There was an impressive amount of people already seated and waiting. He glanced down at his watch and then around to the people to see if he could find anyone familiar. He spotted a dark head and headed in that direction.

"You were invited too?" Sasuke said as he took a place to Itachi's left. He saw his brother's lips quirk upward with a wry smirk.

"Did you think you were special? I work with Hinata as well," he spoke haughtily, working his shoulders in to straighter posture. Sasuke grumbled an insult under his breath before looking at his watch again. At the altar there was a woman with dark straight hair holding a mini pig under her arm looking a bit frantic as she spoke in to her cell phone. It was then that he noticed how anxious the crowd was looking. He craned his neck to see if he could find out what was wrong. Itachi noticed and answered for him. "It seems as though the groom has yet to show up." He spoke calmly, in that matter of fact way Itachi had of sounding when speaking of something grim. Sasuke's head snapped towards his brother.

"What?"

"Lower your voice. This is information that Neji confided to me before going off to see if Ms. Hyuuga would need anything." He spoke without looking at his brother but Sasuke could see the tension in Itachi's jaw.

' _That son of a bitch.'_

He didn't hear if Itachi had called after him. He spotted a girl who looked a great deal like Neji leaning against a pillar. He went up to her and asked (demanded) if she knew where Hinata was. She snapped her gum a few times, looking annoyed, before she finally answered him with her eyes narrowed.

"Yeah she's in room 307. I doubt she wants to see anyone right now though, she just kicked us all out of there not five minutes ago." He ignored her and headed towards the elevators.

Hinata didn't startle when he came through the door without knocking, she only turned her head and stared up at him. He didn't take her for the princess type of person, the kind who likes hyped up gowns with large skirts and heavy jewelry, but he had to admit it she wore it well. Even perched on an ottoman he could see the generous shape the bodice gave her and the way her skirts pooled around her in the glittering afternoon light made for quite the fairytale effect. Her hair was pulled up in an elegant bun, sparkling pins keeping it in place, and her bangs framed her face in a delicate way. She had diamond studs in her ears and a delicate silver thread held another diamond at the base of her neck. Her engagement ring stood out on her long pale finger and suddenly he felt breathless. Not from running down the halls but from the sight of this woman before him.

Her face was blank. There was a tissue gripped in one hand and a piece of note paper in the other but he could see that her make up hadn't smudged. She hadn't been crying. Someone must have handed her the tissue when the note arrived.

She swallowed before she spoke.

"You came." He watched as she licked her lips and took a shuddering breath. "I'm sorry…" He couldn't take it. She sounded just about ready to break and yet here she was, holding on for dear life for God knows what reason.

"Where's your maid of honor?" She offered a weak twitch of the lips.

"I sent her away… She likes to hover…" He nodded, as though he understood, but he didn't really understand. He'd never had anyone close to him like that before. After a pause she looked up at him, studying him, before shrugging. "He said that it's been coming for… a while. That he's s-sorry… for not getting out sooner." She let the note fall to the floor.

"Well you don't seem surprised." She shook her head. No.

An idea struck him then. "Let's leave." Her brow furrowed.

"What? N-no. I can't I have to-"

"Have to what?" She took a moment to think on that.

"Okay, but… I don't have a change of clothes here and I don't want to…" She gestured to her dress. He rolled his eyes.

"My place is close by. Come on."

Sasuke offered his hand and Hinata didn't hesitate to take it.

He felt like he was in a movie, sticking his head to look down the hall to make sure the coast was clear of any and all concerned friends and family. He pulled her out of the room and they sprinted to the emergency stairs that would lead to the parking lot. Hinata was bare foot and had her skirts drawn up to allow her to move more easily. If anyone had spotted them it would have appeared as though she were the one leaving someone at the altar.

The asphalt was hot and she yelped as she ran after him. He threw open the passenger door and she jumped in, arranging her dress as best as she could around her before he closed the door. He drove a kind of reckless abandon that he was positive she would comment on but Hinata remained silent, her eyes intent on the road, hands clutching the seat belt as it cut across her front.

At his apartment she sat in the middle of his living room looking like she just fell out of a story book. He dug through his drawers for a while before finding a pair of sweat pants he'd grown out of and a t-shirt with a giant dragon on the front of it. She looked a little confused when he handed it to her.

"Just put the damn shirt on." She shrugged and retired to the bathroom. He was positive she would have asked for help but after a little while she emerged wearing the sweat pants with the drawstring done as tightly as she could get it, his t-shirt looking a little ridiculous with the dragon on the front, and she'd pulled her hair out of its' bun and in its' place was a shaky pony tail.

She still looked radiant.

She turned toward the front window. The sky had already darkened which meant it was about time for her reception to start.

"What do you think the others are doing?" Sasuke shrugged, grabbing his keys from the coffee table and leading her toward the door with his hand at the small of her back.

"It doesn't matter."

He drove more slowly now, wondering why he seemed so rushed in the first place. He supposed he just wanted to get Hinata as far away from the situation as possible. She tugged at the diamond on her neck a bit before finally reaching behind her and taking the necklace off.

"Do you mind if I hide this in your cup holder? I forgot to take them off in your bathroom." She spoke while pulling the earrings from her ears. He shrugged as the jewelry clinked as it hit the plastic of his cup holder. She leaned back in to her seat and her shoulders slumped a bit. "Where are we going?"

"A bar," he spoke while turning. She furrowed her brows. "Don't worry, it's quiet there."

He felt a little weird hijacking her from her family like he did but he couldn't help the bubbles of excitement that kept churning his stomach. He was going to be spending time with her. Alone.  _Outside_  of the work place.

He found a spot on the street and parked. Hinata was looking out the window curiously. He didn't blame her, this place was a little less conspicuous than others and it was the reason he liked it. Sasuke got out and went around the other side to help Hinata out of the car. The touch of her cool fingers in his sent a small jolt to his spine. He held on to her hand a little longer than necessary because of that and she was the one who pulled away, light blush coloring her cheeks and looking embarrassed. He cleared his throat.

"Come on."

They walked a little ways down the street before they came up to a door with tinted windows and a bright neon 'Open' sign hanging to the side. Sasuke pulled the door open and Hinata stepped in before him. What welcomed them was the soft chorus on a juke box and the low voices of a few patrons at the back. The walls were full of various pictures and posters and the bar seemed to be made out of aluminum roofing. Behind the bar was a man with a scar across his nose and brown hair brought up in a small pony tail. He was cleaning a glass and regarded them warmly with a nod and a slight twitch of the lips. Sasuke nudged Hinata in the direction of the bar.

"What'll you have?" The bartender inquired with a tilt of his head towards Hinata.

"Cranberry vodka…" He nodded and turned to Sasuke.

"Whatever you have on tap."

Hinata nursed her drink and Sasuke couldn't help watching her through his peripheral.

' _Well this isn't… awkward…'_

"So how was your day?" He cringed just as the words left his mouth. She gave him this look that read:  _'Really? That's what you ask?'_ "You know, besides the whole… being left at the… Fuck. Okay-"

"It's okay," she offered a breathy laugh. "No, it was… long. Stressful and then…" Her eye glazed over for a moment before she shook her head and finished the last of her drink and motioned for another. "And then I'm here." She sighed as the bartender pushed her second drink towards her. Sasuke could already see the loosening effects of alcohol on her taking hold.

"You'll be… okay though. Fuck him." He nodded firmly. "Fuck him."

"I could have… saved myself a lot of… e-embarrassment today. If I had just given up sooner…" He felt a stirring of anger at that.

"It's not your fault though, I mean, how could you have really known? You were ready to commit yourself to him."

"No." He snapped his mouth shut in surprise. She shook her head slowly. "No I… don't think I really was. When Naruto and I first got together it was an explosion of emotions. He was a sudden burst of energy and life in the grey that mine had become and," she swallowed thickly, voice becoming lower with every word. "And I just wanted to keep that… but it changed. Everything changed." Her shoulders shook and her grip on the glass tightened.

"Hinata," Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder and she froze. Slowly, she turned her face to look at him. His lips thinned to a line at what he saw. Tears were flowing freely from her eyes and yet she was still fighting them. His hand squeezed her shoulder.

"It wasn't supposed to… I gave up… and he just… j-just." He pulled her toward him and held her close.

"It's no good to fight it, there's no one here for you to pretend it's okay." He drew away to look at her, her lips were trembling with the effort it was taking not to sob. "Because it's not okay, Hinata…"

She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against his shoulder. A moment passed before a small, muffled sob came from the woman he held close to him. He tightened his grip on her as she continued to cry in earnest for the first time since she received the note.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey posting on AO3 is frustrating as fuck.
> 
> Who even wants to own Naruto anymore? Like aside from the money I wouldn't be proud of that.

 

 

The taste in her mouth was foul and it felt sticky. She needed water. But even thinking of opening her eyes was proving difficult. She knew vodka usually made her feel like shit but she also knew it was something that'd get her drunk quickly. That had been the goal.

She was sort of regretting it.

Especially since she wasn't too sure where she was and was digging through foggy memories to figure out what happened after Sasuke took her away.

' _Sasuke…_ '

One thing at a time. She was in a bed. That much she could tell as she probably wouldn't have felt as comfortable if she was on someone's couch. The fan was whirring above her and she could feel the warmth of morning sun on her closed eyelids. Hinata took a moment to muster the strength to open her eyes. She still felt groggy and the throbbing at her forehead was increasing the more she became conscious of her surroundings. Opening her eyes would probably make it worse.

' _Okay… Just count to three and open your eyes. You have to get up and figure out where you are…'_

Slowly she peaked out from under the covers. Someone must have tucked her in. She stared at the translucent white curtains only just blocking the full force of the morning light coming through the blinds. She blinked a few times to try to clear the bleariness from her eyes.

She recognized those curtains.

She'd help pick them out for a guest room.

"Oh good you're not dead. I was a little scared you really over did it last night. I mean, not scared enough to take you to a hospital or anything, but still pretty worried." Hinata couldn't help wincing at the sound of Ino's voice. She pushed herself up and watched as Ino walked into the room still in a tank top and some loose pajama pants. She pushed a glass of ice water into Hinata's hands and gave her some pills. "Tylenol for the headache I'm sure you have." Hinata took the pills with a silent thank you before taking a few slow gulps of water.

"How did I…?" Ino snorted and leaned back on her elbows on the bed.

"Well first of all, how dare you run off without telling anyone where you were going. We were all going nuts trying to figure out where you took off to." Hinata opened her mouth to apologize but Ino waved her off. "We should have known better that you weren't going to do anything drastic but it was still unnerving that you had disappeared. Anyway, Neji, calm as ever, just told everyone to go home and keep an eye on our phones. He said if we hadn't heard from you by the end of today we'd go to the police."

"So I came home and got out of that bridesmaid dress and kicked off my shoes and put on a movie. I think it was about two in the morning when I got that call. I was so relieved to see your name but I was also a bit pissed that you took off without telling me. I mean I could have helped you forget about being left at the alter too! Anyway, not the point, I answer, just about ready to tell you off when who is on the other line but some dudes voice! By the way I knew the Uchihas were hot and all but you _could_ have introduced us, me being single and all."

Hinata bit her lip. "We're not that… _close_." Ino scoffed.

"Well what you and I consider close must be completely different. He called to ask if he could bring you to my house since he didn't know where else to take you and I was the last person you had sent a text message to before the wedding. Remember? You asked if I could lend you some shimmery eye shadow. So I gave him my address and waited not really sure what to expect."

"He shows up, all rumpled and such, with you hanging off his arm drunk off your ass in his clothes. He looks really good in a rumpled suit by the way. I hope you can remember that. It'd be a shame if you don't. Also I hope you remember if you two did anything. I'd like to hear about it."

" _Ino_."

"Sorry, okay, so he helped me get you upstairs and I got you into bed. He handed me your phone and wallet and took off. Didn't say goodbye or anything. Not one for manners is he?" Hinata, at this point, had put her head in her hands.

"This is mortifying. What was I thinking? I shouldn't have gone with him." She groaned into her fingers.

"Well did any of this jog your memory? I said I want to hear what you guys did, where did he take you?" Hinata took her hands away from her face and watched her friend carefully.

The truth was, hearing the end of the night _had_ cleared the fog of her thoughts.

"There isn't much to tell. He came back to my room after he found out from his brother that Naruto wasn't coming. We… Exchanged some words and he lent me some clothes… Then we went to a bar where I probably talked more than I should have and I also think I cried on him." Hinata could feel the blush bloom across her face. She had gotten emotional in front of a work associate. This was so inappropriate she was positive Neji would have words with her about this later.

"So that's it? You didn't end up in his clothes for any other reasons?" Hinata furrowed her brow at her friend.

"No! A-absolutely no, Ino he is a business associate. I asked to borrow some clothes because I didn't want to be walking around town in that stupidly big wedding dress." Ino huffed and her eyes narrowed.

"Yeah well no one would blame you if that _wasn't_ the reason. Especially since some asshole decided it'd be cool to go ahead and bail on you on your wedding day. Just sayin'." Hinata visibly shrunk at that and Ino's gaze softened. "Sorry," she mumbled, "not about calling Naruto an asshole but about this happening to you." She reached out and squeezed Hinata's hand softly.

"I'll be okay, I think." She leaned back against the headboard. "I'll just be a little sad for a while. Mostly because it's over, but to be honest I'm a little… relieved." Ino's sympathetic gaze turned cat like in an instant.

"Relief because now you can focus your sights on one tall, dark and handsome Uchiha?"

"I have a feeling you're not going to give up on that for a while…" Ino snickered.

"Nope, and I have good reason to believe you two have the hots for each other." She pushed up off of the bed. "Why else would he listen to you cry over some dude if he was just "some business associate" as you are claiming him to be. Anyway, no more dude talk. Let's go get some breakfast."

* * *

Hinata spent the rest of the day with Ino.

She made a quick phone call to Neji to check in.

" _I'm glad you're okay. You had us a bit worried."_

"Sorry, I just… Needed to get away."

Ino did good on her word about no more boy talk. She really didn't want to think about anything. She felt empty. All of her emotions had been laid out the night before with Sasuke and now she felt like a shell. She wondered if Sasuke would think of her differently after that display.

She usually did so well to keep that air of indifference. Or at least she thought she did well for herself. She knew she'd never look as cool as Neji or her sister who played off all emotions as mild annoyances.

Ino had thankfully retrieved her things from the hotel the day before so she had a change of clothes. She dreaded the idea of having to face Naruto who may or may not have taken refuge in their home.

She had been deep in thought about what she'd do for the rest of the week when Ino slammed the table between them.

"You're staying with me by the way, right? It'll be just like when we were roommates. In fact, let's be roommates again?" Hinata could see the worry in Ino's eyes. She was afraid of leaving her alone. Hinata shook her head.

"Yes and no. You know I love you, but you're an awful roommate. I think it'd be nice to live alone for a while. I'll stay here for a while so I can... Figure out where I'm going to go. I do need to find some time to grab my things…" Ino snorted, taking an aggressive bite out of her salad.

"You don't have to worry about tip toing around your own house. Word on the street is Naruto's already cleaned up and moved out." Ino's tone was bitter, disgust apparent on her pretty face.

' _Again I'm not surprised…'_

And she really wasn't. In retrospect she feels like she, herself, should have probably pulled away sooner. It was just hard because things had gotten so… comfortable.

The shock of having to go through their house did not do anything for her mood. The things they had gotten together he had left. Most of the furniture was still in the house save for the beat up coffee table he had been unwilling to let go of for some reason.

Most of the nick knacks were his, she was never one for such trinkets. She had adopted her family's minimalist style as an adult. All of Naruto's flavor and personality were gone. Now her home was like her parent's home. All neutral colors and clean lines. She could see where the dust had gathered around his decorations and bit the inside of her lips thinking idly of how he'd promised he'd dust if he could keep these things out.

Ino was grumbling through herself while she shuffled through some drawers to see what else he had left behind. Hinata was pretty sure her friend was hoping he'd forgotten something vital in his haste to leave so that she could burn it or taunt him with it.

The plan was to gather a few essentials. She'd come back later to pack up some of the larger of her possessions that she was planning on keeping. She wondered what Naruto was hoping to do with this place. He was obviously not planning on staying since he'd already done his part to pick up and go.

She guessed it was just something they'd have to discuss eventually.

She felt her stomach knot uncomfortably.

No one ever said breaking up was easy.

* * *

"So, I heard you were playing knight in shining armor the other day," he could hear the smirk on Itachi's lips. Sasuke only turned his head slightly to show he had heard but didn't stop his typing or take his eyes off of his computer screen.

"And?"

"Well, I just think it's rather nice of you to have taken her out of that awkward situation. Did you two have fun?" He knew Itachi was fishing for information. It was his brother's round about way of asking what had happened when they left the hotel. If he should know about anything? If perhaps he should have a preemptive conversation with HR and Hinata's cousin.

"As much fun as you can with a jilted bride." His wording was off. He took his hands off the key board and glared at his brother who had one eye brow quirked in his direction. "That came off wrong." He sighed heavily and leaned on his desk, burying his face in his palms. "I took her out to let out some steam then left her with a girl friend. Happy?"

"And by let out steam you…" He hated the way Itachi sounded. He could really do without his brother's teasing.

"I mean she got drunk then I took her home."

"Romantic."

"Itachi-" He pushed away from his desk and stood to glare at his older brother in earnest. Now that Itachi was sure Sasuke didn't do anything he'd have to pay for he was just poking fun.

"Sorry, I can't help it. It's funny to watch you get so flustered over a woman."

"I'm not flustered!"

"And defensive." Sasuke was about to retort again but Itachi held up his hand. The small smile never leaving his lips. "Look, whatever feelings you harbor for her I think are cute. It's not like you _can't_ start something with her. There's nothing wrong with it. Just make sure not to mess it up." Itachi didn't allow Sasuke any more time to argue the thought. He just turned on his heels and waved behind him in a halfhearted "toodle loo."

He glared at the door long after his brother had closed it behind him.

Sasuke didn't want to think about this. Not about feelings or reasons. He didn't want to acknowledge that Itachi may or may not be right.

He had seen Hinata. Had seen how broken she looked and he knew he wanted to help ease the pain in any way that he could.

He knew that when he'd heard that Naruto had not shown up his heart had done a strange jump. He knew that his adrenaline rushed through his ears as he went to look for her. He knew he felt elation when she did not turn him away.

But he didn't want to acknowledge why. Though he guessed he did know. He had known. It was why he was hesitant about going to the wedding in the first place after impulsively accepting her invitation.

Now here was his brother essentially giving his blessing as long as he didn't do anything to fuck it up…

' _Oh who am I kidding, I_ always _find a way to fuck it up…'_

It had been four days since the wedding. He had been subconsciously watching his phone, trying to convince himself he wasn't waiting for some type of contact form her.

He was a little disappointed she hadn't tried to reach out and he wasn't sure if he should try to call her or send her a message.

' _She's probably busy…'_

He'd heard from Itachi, who was a surprising but notorious gossip, that she had built quite a life with her ex fiancé. She was probably in the middle of a divorce-like situation. The problem was he couldn't picture her in a room full of lawyers battling it out for trivial things like possessions. He had probably thought too highly of her, though, as she is just a person. And in these types of situations, doesn't it usually end up that way?

* * *

"So we can't get a refund on the tickets, the airline will give us a credit under each of our names. The hotel is also willing to put aside the same amount of days for a different day, after some kind words from yours truly…"

"You can keep the days at the hotel, I have no plans on taking such an extravagant location anytime soon. As for the airline tickets, I suppose there isn't anything I can do about that. You keep yours and I'll keep mine." Naruto nodded and jotted down some notes on his note pad.

It had been a trying few days. Ino had proved a nice distraction the day after her wedding. Hinata had taken two weeks off of work for her honey moon so she was glad to have some time for herself to recover. She spent her days at Ino's apartment catching up on some reading and day time soap operas. She'd paid little attention to her phone.

It was until that Thursday where Neji had shown up at Ino's door step and advised that Naruto had been badgering him about tying up some loose ends.

This forced Hinata to come back to reality. Her mental vacation was over, at least for now. Naruto was ready to take care of his last bits of business with her. He was never the patient type.

She had to dig quite a while before she was able to produce her phone from the depths of her purse. It had died on Sunday morning and she hadn't bothered to bring it back to life until that point in time.

Neji chatted amicably about how well the baby had been doing recently. About how Ten Ten had recovered nicely. Small talk to fill the silence as Hinata thumbed through her phone while it buzzed with each missed text message and email she had neglected these passed six days.

Most were from that first night when she'd disappeared from her wedding. There were a few work emails that she marked to read later. Then she'd gotten to the messages from Naruto. It appeared as though he'd left a lengthy voicemail that Monday night. Her finger paused above the play button before she decided against listening to it now. She may later that night.

Then there were a few text messages scattered through from Tuesday to that morning. They were impersonal, brief messages of, "We need to talk sometime."

That's how she ended up at Naruto's work place. A large law firm located in the heart of down town, not too far from the Uchiha building now that she thought of it. She was sitting at a long table in one of their nicer conference rooms that his boss had let them borrow. Neji sat to her left glaring at Naruto resolutely. Naruto sat across from them with one of his attorney buddies. They had offered them refreshments even though they weren't there for a consult. She supposed, even under the circumstances, Naruto's co workers were still trying to make an impression on them as the Hyuuga were still a high profile family.

She was tired of thinking. Of laying out every large financial decision and figuring out who deserved what. She never realized how much, in a financial sense, she and Naruto had tied themselves to each other. She supposed, at the time it made sense, as they were hoping to spend the rest of their lives together. At least they had the sense to keep separate bank accounts.

They had agreed to sell the house and split the profits. Hinata didn't fight much in regards to the possession they had purchased together. She was back under her family's payroll. She could replace everything she gave up today in a heart-beat and she really didn't want to keep anything anyway. She didn't want the reminder.

Naruto's buddy, she couldn't quite remember his name, shifted in his chair. "What about the expenses of the wedding? Couldn't get any of that back could you?" Neji's glare narrowed even further.

"What do you mean?" The man shift uncomfortable under Neji's gaze.

"Well I'm just saying that perhaps there should be some type of compensation…" Naruto had the decency to look upset.

"Dude…"

"What I'm just-"

"Just shut up. I think that was everything. Thanks for coming." Naruto held out a hand that Hinata shook halfheartedly before turning away to walk out of the room.

She supposed she should feel some elation to being done. She didn't have to speak to Naruto anymore, all necessary contact had been taken care of in one two hour long meeting.

But that wasn't the case.

Her chest still felt heavy but her heart felt empty. She felt like she needed to go into a deep sleep. Thoughtless and dark. She really needed to just get away.

"Are you okay?" Neji had caught up to her as she waited for the elevator. She'd forgotten he was with her in her haste to leave the room.

"I'm fine I just… I'd just like to get back to not thinking or doing anything." Neji nodded thoughtfully as the doors slid open before them.

"I'll take you back."

At Ino's apartment, she'd found a note left by the blond.

' _Going out tonight. Don't wait up!'_

She smiled. Ino had figured out quickly that Hinata had put her phone in a time out.

Hinata went upstairs with the intent to change out of her stuffy professional clothing into something more comfortable.

' _Maybe it'd be good to go out for a run…'_

* * *

He hadn't expected her to be out.

He himself usually preferred to run on a treadmill at a gym where he could also watch the news. Sometimes he'd even read through contracts while he ran.

Running at the park was a rare event for him. He rarely even went out at dusk preferring cool early mornings to the usually muggy evenings. He knew he'd surprised her too.

She had stopped short in front of him. Her face flushed from exertion. Her bangs sticking to her forehead and a bead of sweat coming down her neck and traveling down her clavicle to the front of her shirt. She blinked at him a few times before offering a shy smile.

Somehow she looked just as beautiful as she had all primped for her business meetings or on her wedding day. He probably looked like he smelled. He was pretty sure he did as it was unusually hot out for their area.

"I didn't expect to see you out here…" He really didn't know what else to say. He realized he immediately became a bumbling fool in her presence. No wonder Itachi decided it'd be nice to tease him. He was too obvious. She shrugged.

"It's been… a long day. Or week, I suppose." Her voice was soft, sweet, like the pitter patter of rain on a window. He felt himself shutter.

' _Keep it together.'_ He noticed she looked a little sheepish.

"I'm sorry I haven't gotten in touch to… Thank you for the other day. I've been a little preoccupied." He had started shaking her head as soon as he heard the apology. Though he'd been waiting for some type of contact he couldn't really blame her for the radio silence. It must be stressful.

"No need to apologize and no need for thanks." She nodded and looked up at the sky. The sun was almost completely hidden by the horizon now. He had been about to head back when they'd bumped into each other. He was glad he hadn't turned back sooner.

"Are you still staying with your blond friend?" She nodded. "I'll walk you back. It's not far from my place anyway."

He couldn't help offering. He wanted to prolong any contact with her for as long as he could. Though he knew in the back of his mind it was incredibly inappropriate. She was a business associate. She was freshly out of a long term committed relationship.

But there was something about her. The way she sometimes stopped listening at meetings because they were rehashing ideas. How she'd start to move her pen in the margins of her notes drawing one of the office plants. There was something about how her voice sometimes became breathless when she was excited about something. Or how she'd place a soft hand on his shoulder when trying to read over his shoulder about some idea or campaign.

He noticed her. He'd noticed her and at first it had been infuriating because her sweet face had brought back so many sour memories. But then he'd made new memories. Memories surrounded by her and her mannerisms and now he was mostly upset at himself that he couldn't act on them appropriately.

He was a sap for Hinata fucking Hyuuga and he didn't give a damn about it.

"I really do feel like I should thank you… though." They had been walking in amicable silence until that point. Allowing his thoughts to run wild about getting to be so close to her. "You really didn't have to take me. You didn't have to listen to me or let me cry and… I do feel like I made a fool of myself." She was almost whispering now. "I can't believe I let my emotions get the better of me like that but… I suppose anyone in that situation would be vulnerable."

"I wouldn't have done that for just anyone." He blurted. Cursing himself as soon as the words left his lips. She looked up at him surprised at the admission, delicate eye brows rising a little. "I mean, I suppose, what I mean to say is-" He took a moment to gather his fragmented thoughts. "I mean I may sort of think you're really great and didn't deserve that and I wanted to help. So please don't apologize and please don't be upset that you vented to me. I was glad to be… the one you got to vent to."

That had been too forward. He watched as her lips set into a grim line and she studied him carefully. He wondered if he could jump into the lake and drown himself. Was the lake deep enough? She really did make him act a fool in the worst kind of way.

"Okay," she said slowly after considering him a few more moments. "I'm glad too then, that it was you." Her face was still red but they had been walking for a while now and he knew it wasn't because of the physical exertion.

He left it at that. Feeling his own pulse quicken more so than when he had been running. It wasn't an admission of mutual feelings, but it was also not out right rejections. He let that hope float around his mind.

"This is it, ah, thank you for walking me home." She paused with her hand on the door to the building. She looked like she wanted to say something more, her body jerking slightly like she had almost wanted to step a little closer but she stopped herself. "I'll… see you around?"

He nodded. Yes, he would see her, probably whenever she got back to work in the next week or so but not like how he wanted to see her. He bit his tongue though.

"I'll see you." He watched her retreating form up until he lost sight of her from the glass doors outside Ino's apartment complex.

He wanted to run after her. He wanted to pull her closer to him. He wanted to put his hands on her elbows and draw her close enough so that he could rest his forehead on hers and take in her scent and study the different shades of lavender in her eyes. But he knew it'd be too soon. He knew she'd hesitated because she'd had that same thought.


End file.
